Eidolon
by Emma Barrows
Summary: What happens when Loveless's new invention dwarfs the large tarantula and what is his new plan? Also, can Emma find out the truth about her father and where she came from? Can James and Artemus stop Loveless from possibly taking over again?
1. Reminiscing

Eidolon

Chapter One-Reminiscing

I stood against the railing in the last car of the luxury train that James West and Artemus Gordon, two of my best friends, use and own. I had crossed my arms over the top of the railing and watched as the tracks flew backwards behind the train. I heard a gentle huff from the steam engine in front of it and easily peeked around the corner, marveling at the size. The black steam engine's pistons were moving in sync propelling us forward over the tracks. My dark brown hair with blond streaks whipped around my face and I reached up to tuck a few strands behind my ears. Above, the sky was a lovely midnight blue color. There was a full moon out and the stars twinkled merrily beside the moon. Being in the middle of the desert was nearly pitch black, with the exception of the silver light from the moon and the few inside the train. The train was gently rocking and I returned to leaning against the railing.

Inside, my other best friend, Rebecca Ambrose, was reading. I turned around and peered in through the rectangular glass pane on the door leading out onto the caboose deck. She was sprawled out on the couch reading. James T West was playing pool with Artemus. I felt a warm smile forming on my face as I watched Artemus. The only one who knew my true feelings toward him was James. I knew I could trust him with it. Rebecca didn't even know either. I watched as James suddenly turned around and froze, listening. I heard a mumbled voice speaking over the 'mega horn' as Artemus called it. It was a device that allows the conductor to talk to us if there is a problem on the tracks a head. When James turned around, his face was grim as he began talking to Artemus and Rebecca. I saw three pairs of eyes suddenly turn toward me. All three had grim expressions. Rebecca's blue eyes were suddenly misty and swelling with tears. I froze. Artemus was dressed in a very soft blue shirt, a matching satin vest with a navy tie and dark slacks. His blue eyes were focused on me. His wheat colored hair was gently brushed back and reached the tops of his ears. He began slowly walking toward me but I opened the door and stepped into the compartment.

"What's going on?" I demanded anxiously, moving my green eyes from James, to Rebecca to Artemus, eventually letting them linger on him.

"I think you should sit down, Emma," Artemus said quietly as he gently stepped forward and took my elbows. I let him gently usher me back toward the couch and I flopped down. I was still completely perplexed as to what was going on. The only sound I heard was the pistons and the wheels running against the iron rails below us. The gentle rocking motion was starting to make me sleepy. Artemus got down on one knee in front of me and gently put his hands on the edge of the couch on either side of my thigh. My own heart hammered in my chest as I studied him closely.

"Emmet just got word that Loveless killed one of his hostages," Artemus said slowly.

I waited for him to continue. All three of them were too quiet and I was starting to get incredibly nervous and panicky. And I began realizing who Loveless killed.

"Oh no, not my father," I said quickly jumping up from the couch. Artemus stood back up again. James had his arm around Rebecca's shoulders as she sobbed quietly. I began backing up toward the exit again. Artemus held up his hands in a defensive position and approached me.

"I'm so sorry Emma," he said quietly, his blue eyes locking on my own. "We will get him for this."

I stubbornly shook my head and turned, bolting from the car. I stopped at the deck on the caboose, feeling the hot tears flowing down my cheeks. I wanted to run forever, but on a train there really wasn't too far to go. I burst into tears. My only family was gone and it was because of Arliss Loveless. After a few moments, I heard the door opening behind me. I didn't turn around. I knew it was Artemus. I grasped the railing with my hands and began speaking.

"Why is this happening?" I asked as my voice cracked. "Why is Loveless doing this?"

I heard Artemus clear his throat behind me. The next thing I knew, he was standing close beside me. He too leaned over the railing and clasped his hands. He turned to look at me.

"Loveless is seriously constipated I believe. Just look at him. He has no lower half," Artemus said in a deadpan tone. I knew he was trying to help. He sighed and continued. "But mark my words. James and I will not rest until he pays for what he's done."

I felt him gently put a hand on the side of my face. I turned to face him and without speaking, I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him into a hug. Artemus seemed a bit shocked, but he slowly encircled his arms around me in return. He cleared his throat again and spoke.

"You still have us," he spoke quietly. I just shut my eyes enjoying the embrace.

After a few moments, he released me and stepped back inside. The door opened again and James stepped out in his usual black slacks, a light grey satin vest, a dark tie and a grey long sleeved shirt. I wiped my eyes and turned to James.

"At some point you're going to have to tell him, Emma," James said as he looked at me. I sighed.

"Oh this was the perfect time. 'My dad was killed by a well known felon and by the way Artemus, I love you?'" I looked at him scandalized and irritated. "This wasn't the time. My father died for crying out loud! I can't tell him something like that now!"

James smirked.

"He's not stupid Em," James continued. "If you don't act soon, you're never going to tell him."

_Damn. He knows me too well! I'm terrified to tell him. I've been putting it off because I'm so scared of his reaction!_ I blinked and scowled at James.

"I will tell him! Just not right now!" I said angrily and brushed past him, pulling open the door and I stormed into the car, by passing Artemus and Rebecca. I heard Rebecca asking James what was wrong. I entered my section of the train and flopped down on the couch. I curled up and stared out the window, watching the scenery whiz by. I was getting rather tired so I shut my eyes and began dozing off, memories of my father still fresh in my mind as fresh tears began spilling out.

I felt warm sunshine on my face as I slowly opened my eyes. I blinked at few times and sat up right. I was still dressed in my clothes from last night, so I quickly grabbed a fresh dress, a baby blue one and quickly changed, leaving my hair fluffed around my face. Around my neck was the pendant that my father had given me on my 16th birthday when I was young. I'm now 28 years old. I inhaled deeply and found everyone sitting discussing a plan.

"Apparently, Loveless has headed toward Arizona," James was saying. "We can head him off."

Once I entered, all eyes moved onto me. I sat down beside Rebecca. She gave me a quick hug.

"How are you feeling today Hun?" she asked softly.

I shrugged one shoulder. "Meh. Like crap basically. But I want to see Loveless get his anyway,"

At the last four words, my tone hardened. Artemus smiled at me and nodded.

I leaned forward, eagerness alit in my eyes.

"So let's get going," I said grinning.

Emmet stopped the train once we reached Arizona and the four of us got horses. I was riding a beautiful chocolate brown gelding with four white socks and a blaze. James was riding a midnight black horse, Artemus a palomino and Rebecca was riding a chestnut horse. The only sound was the thudding of our horses hooves on the ground. The town was looming a head of us. It was fairly busy at this time of day, which I gathered was late afternoon around 2 pm or so. We reached the town and slowed our horses down to a walk. The buildings were built close to one another. It was the typical western town, with blacksmiths, a saloon, a hotel, a livery stable and a general store among other smaller buildings. We reached the saloon and dismounted , tying our horses to the hitching post outside. I dusted the front of my dress off and turned. Artemus and James were already stepping into the saloon. Rebecca and I also carefully stepped into it as James stood in the center of the saloon, speaking loudly.

"We know Loveless is nearby. So if anyone values their life, I suggest telling us where he is now," James said angrily and firmly.

Snickers went around the saloon. One man stood up as we entered, and all eyes were turned on us.

"Well now," one man cooed smirking. "We might be opt to telling you where Loveless is if you grant us a night with these two gorgeous ladies."

Another man got up and pressed himself against Rebecca and I. I scowled.

"Step away from them," James ordered as he moved his hand onto the handle of his gun, which was nestled nicely into its holster around his waist.

"Aw now come on. We're just having some fun," the man said sounding offended. The man slowly reached his hand out to grab one of my breasts, but Artemus' hand shot out across my chest, catching the man's' hand in mid air. He had a murderous expression on his face as he glared at the man.

"He said don't touch them," He said coldly.

The man pulled out his gun and cocked back the hammer, aiming it Artemus.

"I wouldn't start unless you can finish it," the man hissed narrowing his eyes.

James sighed.

"I was hoping we didn't have to get rough," he said as he turned his gun onto the men. It was a flurry of activity. I heard gun shots going off as Rebecca and I dove to the ground. I covered my head with my hands. I heard glass breaking and shouting. Someone tripped over me and Rebecca and I crawled under a table.

"I hope James is alright," Rebecca said nervously.

_I hope Artemus is safe too_ I thought as after a few moments, the chaos seemed to have stopped. Rebecca and I slowly crawled out from under the table and stood up. There were bodies everywhere, but thankfully Artemus and James were remaining standing.

"Found out where Loveless is, let's go," James said.

I felt my lip twitch. Rebecca quickly headed over to James as they left. I began walking behind them, with Artemus beside me. He cleared his throat and glanced at me sideways.

"Are you ok? I mean you're not hurt or anything?" he asked nervously and worriedly. I smiled and shook my head.

"Good," he said sounding relieved.

We entered one of the hotels. James marched right up the stairs onto the second floor. He stopped in front of the door and pulled out his gun. Artemus did the same. James gently ushered Rebecca and I back, so there was no danger. On a count of three, James kicked down the door and stepped into the room, guns aimed directly at Loveless, who was in his wheelchair. The man creeped me out big time. He had no lower extremities. He only had the upper half of his body. I felt a tingle run down my spine.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" James said coldly, standing in an isosceles firing position.

Arliss Loveless turned himself around and smirked at us. He had a black goatee and was dressed in a black suit and tie from the neck down to his waist.

"James T West and Artemus Gordon," he cooed. "And who are these lovely young ladies behind you? Don't be shy step forward."

"We're here to make you pay for what you've done," James growled. "You killed an innocent man and now have hostages! Release them or pay."

Loveless chuckled.

"Dear James T West," he said shaking his head. "You clearly are a remarkable man. Its too bad you can't put your talents to better use. It's a shame to see such a talent to go to waste. I have no intention of releasing the hostages until I get what I want."

His eyes moved onto me next.

"And you must be the lovely Emma Dawes," he said smirking as he moved his wheelchair toward me. I felt Artemus tense up as he stood beside me and I knew James was eyeing him very carefully. "Your father was a great man. It was a shame to put him down."

"You're a real bastard," I hissed at him.

He smirked and chuckled again.

"Well now, I think I'll just prove to myself how generous I can be," he said as he slammed his fist down on the arm of the wheel chair. A pop went off as I felt searing pain in the center of my abdomen. With that, Loveless vanished as a thick cloud of smoke filled the room. I heard James, Rebecca and Artemus coughing from somewhere around me. Once the smoke cleared I saw them. I glanced down at the front of my dress. A red stain began forming. In slow motion, I saw Artemus lunge forward, arms outstretched as I dropped to my knees. I felt Artemus cradling me in his arms, his expression was grim and pained. My eyes fluttered closed as I drifted off into darkness.


	2. Recovery?

EIDOLON

CHAPTER TWO-RECOVERY?

ARTEMUS GORDON

Emma collapsed to her knees. Loveless had completely vanished now, using one of his normal tricks to evade being captured. The smoke had completely cleared. My arms were wrapped around Emma. Her eyes were closed. I frantically looked up at James, who crouched down in front of me.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine," he said reassuringly and sincerely. I could see he was enraged as well. Rebecca was sobbing hysterically. "We've got to get her back to the train. Forget Loveless he's not going anywhere."

I followed behind on my horse as James carried Emma back. Thankfully, the train wasn't too far. She was losing blood fast. Rebecca was sitting on her horse beside me as we slowly walked back. I turned to her.

"I do hope she'll be fine," I said swallowing a lump in my throat.

Rebecca raised her eyes. There were tears still swelling in them. Her chocolate brown hair blew out behind her softly bouncing against her shoulders. The only sound that could be heard was the gentle creaking of leather from the western saddles.

"Emma's my best friend. I'd be lost without her," Rebecca said thickly. She slowly turned her eyes onto me.

There was one thing I never told James or Rebecca. I was in love with Emma. I was just terrified to tell her. I was scared that she'd want someone more like James than me. James was brave and cunning. I was simply smart. Sometimes I got the feeling that Emma thought my inventions were funny and she didn't take me seriously. Once we reached the train, I found James in the compartment. He was leaning over Emma. I immediately rushed over to him.

"How is she?" I demanded glancing down at her. I gently placed a hand on her forehead, letting my thumb stroke it gently. She was burning up and I spied a small droplet of blood on the corner of her mouth.

"She's bad," James said. "She's got some internal bleeding. I managed to stabilize her but she needs to get to a doctor."

Emma didn't even open her eyes at my touch. I swallowed another lump. I raised my eyes to James.

"Will she make it?"

"That I don't know Arti," He said gravely. "Right now it's a wait and see but we need a doctor."

James went over to the Mega Horn, calling up to Emmet.

"Emmet, does this town have a doctor? If it doesn't what's the nearest town that does have one?"

"This town, Riverdale, does have a doctor. I'll go get him for Miss Dawes,"

I sat down on a coffee table beside Emma on the couch. Rebecca excused herself to take a nap. I turned to James.

"I feel this is my fault," I said quietly, keeping my eyes on Emma's face. "I should've shielded her better."

"Naw, this is Loveless' fault," James said shaking his head. "I'm not done with him yet."

James got up and put a hand on my shoulder.

"She'll be fine Arti, you'll see," he said firmly. I didn't look up at him.

James headed up front to check on Rebecca. Outside, the sun began setting and I sat down in a chair right across from the couch. I watched over her for several hours. I ended up dozing off.

"_Arti, wake up," A soft voice said in front of me. I slowly opened my eyes. Emma's bright and cheery face appeared a few inches from my own. I broke into a relieved grin._

"_Emma! You're alright!" I said ecstatically as I went to reach for her. My hand cupped the side of her face._

"_You mustn't blame yourself for what happened," she said softly. "It wasn't your fault."_

_I sighed. "I'm just glad you're alright, that's the main thing,"_

_Emma shook her head. "No, you're dreaming. It's time to wake up,"_

I jumped awake, startled and quickly looked around the interior of the compartment. The sun was gone and instead, a crescent shaped moon hung in the sky as I peered out one of the windows. Shadows played elongating against the red floral wallpaper that lined the walls. A few lamps were lit, giving off a gentle glow. I noticed Emma was not lying on the couch. James wasn't in the compartment either. Alarmed, I quickly stood up and headed toward the front.

"West? Rebecca? Where is everyone?" I called.

"In here Arti," James' voice called from the last car. I hurried through the cars carefully placing my foot on the very narrow coupler. I spied James and Rebecca sitting on the couch. I could tell from their expressions it wasn't good news.

"Where's Emma?" I demanded.

"Arti, sit down," James said getting up. He held a hand out to me, palm facing me in a defensive posture.

"She's dead isn't she?" I cried. "This is my entire fault! I should've come up with a device to deflect her! I'm going to make that parasite Loveless pay!"

"Arti…" James began again but I just slumped against the wall.

"I never got the chance to tell her how I feel," I said burying my face in my hands as I leaned against the wall.

"Arti, the doctor was here several hours ago. You were sound asleep we didn't want to wake you," James said in a soft tone. "Emma's resting in the front compartment. The doctor removed the bullet. He managed to stop some of the internal bleeding and he said that now it's a wait and see game. The next 24 hours are critical. But he thinks she'll pull through it. He didn't want to move her but he had to. There was more room."

Relief spread through me as I slipped into a chair and let my hands bury my face. I heard James approaching me. He stood in front of me.

"Arti, you love her don't you?" He asked shrewdly.

I mumbled something.

"Tell her then," he said. "What's stopping you?"

"The fact that she thinks I'm a joke," I grumbled. "She thinks my inventions are ludicrous and ridiculous."

"She doesn't think that," James said scandalized. "Where'd you get that from?"

Again, I just muttered.

James patted my knee and stood up. The next few hours I was completely on edge. I ended up dozing off again.

"Arti! Get in here quick!" I heard Rebecca cry. I woke with a start and almost fell off the couch as I scrambled to my feet. I threw myself forward into the compartments until I reached the front one. Emma was alert. Her eyes were opened.

"Oh Thank God Emma! You gave us a scare!" Rebecca cried happily hugging Emma gently but tightly.

James even leaned down to give her a brief but gentle hug. I approached her and crouched down beside her on the floor. I put one arm behind her head on the pillow and leaned in.

"You really scared us there, Em," I said softly, watching her.

EMMA

I smiled up at Artemus. His arm was behind my head on the pillow. I gently reached up and touched the side of his face.

"I'm here to haunt you guys for quite a while," I joked but cringed. My abdomen felt like someone had taken a pitch fork to it. I slowly turned my face up toward the ceiling. "I'm so going to make Loveless pay for what he did."

My voice was watery and strained.

"You and me both," James said earnestly. "Let's leave these two alone."

I slowly turned my face toward James, as I heard the conspiratorial tone to his voice. Artemus looked at him too with a perplexed expression on his face. James and Rebecca slowly began leaving the compartment, leaving Arti and I alone. I glared after them, but they were grinning broadly. I turned my eyes onto Arti.

"James said you were panicked when you thought I was dead," I said softly smiling with some effort.

Artemus blushed and shyly lowered his eyes. He rubbed the back of his neck and spoke.

"Well of course, you're my best friend," he said smiling. I felt my heart sink a bit at his statement. _So he doesn't feel that way about you. He only sees you as a best friend_ I thought to myself and sighed, feeling a little depressed now. Artemus' blue eyes were locked on my face. He had a concerned expression on his face now as he must've picked up the quick change in my mood.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Fine," I grumbled as I slowly turned onto my side, ever so carefully. "I'm just rather tired now."

It was a lie, I was more wide awake than anything at this point, but I was more angry with myself than anything else. I stared at the back of the couch, wondering what he would do next.

"Oh I see," he said quietly. "Well, I'll leave you to rest now. Thank God you're all right."

I felt him get up and he gently smoothed my hair back away from my face. I heard him leave the compartment. I shut my eyes and felt a few tear drops streaking down my cheeks.

We stayed in Riverdale for a few days until my strength had come back. The doctor came back again to check on me. I was doing well, but was ordered not to do anything strenuous. We were heading to California now, as Loveless had moved there now and was trying to take over a local politician's power. I was sitting reading but got bored and tossed the book across the compartment. It landed splayed on the ground. I sighed and folded my arms over my chest, staring out the window, watching the scenery whiz by. The tawny colored sand seemed to glow under the bright sunlight. There were rolling rocky formations and hills. We were still in Arizona and would be hitting the next state, Nevada. I heard someone come into the compartment. It was James. He bent down and picked up the book, gently closing it and placing it on a night table in the corner. He walked toward me and sat down.

"You've been in this compartment all day," he said curiously. "Is everything okay?"

I snorted and turned to him. "Oh yeah things are peachy. I just feel like a complete ass is all,"

James looked at me curiously. I grumbled something unintelligible and turned my face away.

"Ahah I got it," He said shrewdly. "You think Artemus doesn't…"

James' voice trailed off as I cut him off, jumping up from the couch abruptly, causing a bit of a sharp pain to shoot through my abdomen from the quick movement.

"Just don't even say it, West," I scolded. "I feel like a complete moron right now. I don't need to hear it."

I went to pass him but he gently grabbed my elbow. I glared at him.

"You're mistaken Emma. Sadly," he said quietly, his dark brown eyes burning into mine. "Just don't jump to conclusions."

With that he released my elbow and I continued to head into the next compartment. Rebecca was sitting there, reading and broke into a grin when I entered.

"Hey there," she said brightly. "Wait what's wrong?"

Her expression quickly changed.

I sat down beside her and turned to her. I took a deep breath. It was high time I told her my feelings toward Artemus. After all, she was my best friend too and deserved to know about what I was feeling.

"I'm in love with Artemus," I mumbled. "But I don't think he feels the same way."

Rebecca burst out laughing. I glared at her and waited till she was finished.

"Oh I'm sorry Em," she gasped for air as she stopped laughing. "You're so blind girl! He _does _love you! I can see it."

I watched her skeptically. "Are you sure you're not playing tricks?"

Rebecca shook her head. "You should've seen the way he held you when Loveless…well you know. He was completely panicked and the minute he didn't see you on the couch, he seriously thought you were dead,"

"But anyone would've thought that," I argued back reasonably. "That doesn't mean he is in love with me."

Rebecca looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Seriously Em. How long have you known me? Years? Have I ever lied to you?"

I shook my head.

"There you go then," She beamed.

At that moment, the compartment door opened and Artemus and James entered. We looked up.

"Emmet says the nearest town in California is Eidolon," James said. "Loveless had put his stake in there and some of the locals are claiming there's a giant bug terrorizing the townspeople."

"Much like his earlier tarantula yes?" Rebecca asked.

"Not sure," Artemus said. "But whatever it is, it's _huge_."

Artemus' eyes moved onto mine. "When we get there I want you to stay inside the train with Emmet. It's much safer. If Loveless sees that you're still alive, he'll try again to kill you,"

"Oh no. I'm not staying behind like some 3 year old child," I argued back. "I want a piece of him."

James looked at Artemus. "She has a right to want to go. After what Loveless did," he offered to Artemus.

Artemus turned and looked at James.

"If Loveless sees her alive, he will try and kill her again," he said firmly and angrily. "I don't want her in the way incase."

He approached me and gently placed his hands on my shoulders, bringing his face close to mine. His blue eyes were pleading. A gentle breeze blew in from one of the opened windows, ruffling Artemus' wheat colored hair. His expression was also pleading.

"Please Em," he said quietly. "Please stay here. I won't worry as much. Do it for me?"

I stared back into his blue eyes and sighed, my anger ebbing away. Eventually I gave in.

"Fine," I grumbled. Artemus gave me a relieved smile and I headed back to the caboose to stand on the small deck, watching the tracks whiz violently backward, and enjoyed the hot breeze blowing my hair around in several directions. I only hoped that Loveless would get his soon enough.


	3. Heroics

Eidolon

Chapter Three-Heroics

Eventually we pulled into the town of Eidolon. Artemus and James left, leaving Becki, Emmet and I behind. I paced through the compartments, like some kind of caged animal. Becki looked at me with an amused expression.

"Geeze girl you could use a sedative right now," she said half lightly and half seriously.

I turned to her, wringing my hands.

"I know. I'm very worried about West and Artemus. Loveless won't stop till he gets what he wants," I argued with her. "I can't sit here knowing they're in danger."

"You mean you can't sit here while _Artemus_ is in danger," She grinned coyly.

"You aren't worried about West?" I asked her incredulously.

Becki shrugged one shoulder. "West can certainly handle himself. Yes I am worried about him, but on the other hand, he knows what he's doing,"

I looked at her completely baffled. Underneath her brave exterior, I could see the panic and worry in her eyes.

ARTEMUS

James and I rode into town on horseback. There was no one out. It almost looked like a ghost town. We pulled our horses to a stop and I turned to him.

"Are you sure this is the right town?" I asked him, shifting my weight in the saddle a bit. I turned around in my saddle, placing a hand on my horses' rump as I surveyed the entire area.

"Yep," James said raising an eyebrow. "I think our lovely friend Loveless is behind this."

Just then, the ground trembled as though an earthquake rocked the entire area. Our horses snorted and tossed their heads up. I gripped the reins as my horse began backing up and nervously prancing in place.

"What on earth is that?" I asked looking around frantically. Another impact tremor shook us. Suddenly, my eyes landed on the object making the noise. My horse reared up, the fore hooves slashing at the air. I tried to hold on but from the force I fell backwards. The horse took off galloping in the opposite direction. James' horse did the same thing. I propped myself up onto my elbows as a long mechanical leg appeared. Then another…and then another. We slowly raised our eyes skyward and saw what appeared to be a large scorpion. It was even bigger than the tarantula.

"Good Lord," I breathed. The tail curled up ward like a regular scorpion would, but on the tip had a large knife like object. Loveless and his female acquaintances were standing in the front were the head would be. I heard Loveless laughing over a loud mega horn.

"You see you cannot defeat me. I _will _get what I want," he cackled. James and I quickly scampered out of the way as the extremely large scorpion began making its way eastward. Gun shots rang out from the front of the scorpion. James and I dove out of the way but my gun belt ended up getting stuck on a parked wagon. I frantically tried to remove it but it wouldn't budge.

"Gordon move your ass!" I heard James hiss from behind a barrel.

"I'm stuck," I said back to him as one of the legs of the scorpion began getting closer to me. It was going to inevitably step on me. I kept tugging at it, but it wasn't budging. My life began flashing before my eyes. I saw when I first met Emma and Becki, James and I's first mission of saving the president. The next thing I knew, I heard the thundering of hooves. Someone grabbed me and yanked me up onto a horse. Emma.

"What are you doing?"I asked her. "I told you to stay back at the train!"

"No time for grounding me Dad," she retorted. "I just saved your butt."

EMMA

I had not been able to sit in the train and wait for them to come back so I'd borrowed a horse. It was a good thing I did because Artemus would've been killed by the leg of that mechanical scorpion. Artemus' arms slowly wound around my waist as I spurred the horse into a trot and headed back to where James was.

James emerged from behind the barrel. He was grinning and he shook his head. I stopped beside him. He looked up at me.

"Wow, that was quite a save," he said still grinning broadly.

"It was also very stupid," Artemus growled behind me. Artemus carefully dismounted and so did I. I glared at him.

"Ok fine. Next time I'll let Loveless squash you. How about that?" I said to him irritably.

"That's not the point!" Artemus shot back. "If Loveless saw you alive, he'd try and kill you again for sure! This time he might actually succeed!"

I stood in front of him and put my face close to his.

"I understand you're worried about me! But I _can_ take care of myself! I just rescued your ass from being Gordon goo and you're angry with me!"

Suddenly, as Artemus was going to respond, the building behind him exploded. James was knocked backward. So was I. I landed on the dirt ground on my back, Artemus landing on top of me. One of his hands accidentally landed on my left breast as debris showered us. He realized quickly where it was and yanked it away.

"Sorry," he said quickly.

We quickly got to our feet and saw Loveless' Scorpion towering over the entire town. He'd shot the building with a large missile.

"So, lovely Emma still lives," Loveless called jeeringly over the mega horn. "I guess I'm just going to have to take care of her yet _again_."

He aimed the gun at me again but Artemus stood in front of me protectively, shielding my body with his. James had already a plan and out of the corner of my eye I saw him scaling one of the legs. Artemus reached behind him and intertwined his fingers with mine.

"If you're going to kill her, you will have to go through me," he said narrowing his eyes. I stepped closer to his back and gently pressed my cheek against his back, feeling tears forming in my eyes.

"Very well. It's a shame I have to kill such a worthy opponent. You and West gave me a run for my money a while ago," He said smirking. "Well, hold still."

A long gun turned toward us now.

"Artemus," I whispered as the tears began overflowing now.

"It's fine Emma," he said quietly out the corner of his mouth.

"Like hell," I hissed back as I saw the nozzle of the gun now fixated completely on Artemus. I heard the pop go off. I screamed as Artemus dropped to his knees before falling sideways, leaving me exposed to Loveless.

"Bye bye dearie," Loveless laughed.

I sobbed and shut my eyes, preparing to feel the shot. But it never came.

I heard metal clanging. My whole body was shaking violently. I was too terrified to open my eyes. The ground shook for a few moments before everything had gone silent.

I dropped to my knees beside Artemus and gently placed the palms of my hands on his lifeless chest.

"Emma!" I heard James cry as he came hurrying over.

"He's dead James," I sobbed. "It's my fault."

Through blurred vision, I saw James' expression.

"It's not your fault alright?" he said.

I just slumped forward and pressed my face into Artemus' dark grey vest. I dug my fingers into the material as I sobbed.

Just then, I heard a low moan coming from Artemus. I slowly raised my head and saw his eyes fluttering open.

"Arte?" I asked incredulously.

"Ow," He winced as he began slowly sitting up. I let go of his vest and sat back on my heels.

He unbuttoned his vest and slowly opened it, exposing an array of chains hanging inside the lining. He raised his blue eyes to mine.

"It's a bullet vest," he explained. "James has one as well. I invented it last month. I didn't think it'd work."

Relief spread through me as I swung my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"I thought you were dead," I sobbed. I gently felt his arms encircling me as well.

"OK. We need to get back to the train to think of a way to stop Loveless," James said. He and I helped Arte get to his feet and we began heading back to the train.

Becki quickly hurried to James' side, making sure he wasn't injured. Arte headed over to a couch and collapsed onto it. Becki was fussing over James. I sat down in front of Arte and noticed a bit of blood seeping through where the bullet had been supposed to have hit him.

"You're bleeding," I said urgently. Arte looked down and quickly unbuttoned his shirt. The bullet had grazed him, but it wasn't anything serious. I quickly got up and grabbed the antiseptic and gauze and hurried back. My dress was dusty and dirt smudged, as well as my cheek and some on my throat. But I really didn't care at this point. I sat back down in front of him and poured a little of the liquid onto the gauze and reached over to dab at the small wound. He sucked in air and cringed.

"I'm sorry," I apologized keeping my eyes on what I was doing. I could feel his eyes on me, watching me closely. I put a small dressing on it and cleared my throat.

"There you go," I said smiling at him.

"Did you really think I was dead?" he asked.

I nodded.

James and Becki hadn't come out of the compartment yet, so I had a pretty good idea what was going on. Arte called up to Emmet and he started the train. The pistons pumped and the train lurched. I had been standing, aiming to put the antiseptic back, but from the force of the lurch, I ended up falling forward, landing right on Artemus' lap. My hands landed on his bare chest. We stared at one another for a bit before I quickly got up.

I sat down next to him.

"I think Becki and James are celebrating back there," I said grinning at him. He grinned right back.

Soon I felt exhausted, both emotionally and physically. I closed my eyes and slumped against Artemus, my head landing on his chest. I felt his arm drape over me as I soon fell into a deep sleep.

ARTEMUS

Emma fell asleep with her head on my chest. I gently draped an arm over her as she slept. James and Becki emerged from the compartment. I watched them shrewdly. Their clothes were in disarray.

"Did we have fun?" I asked West raising an eyebrow but I was grinning.

"Yep. Something you should try with Emma," he retorted back. I felt the heat creeping into my face as I looked at him.

"I respect Emma," I said firmly. "I'm not about to treat her like some prostitute."

Becki had sat down on the couch and began reading. James stepped toward me and stopped in front of me.

"Arte, you know damn well you want to," James said. "You're not fooling anyone."

I inhaled and glared at James.

"I will not do anything with Emma unless she wants to or is ready. Secondly, she doesn't even know how I feel," I said to him.

"Then I think it's high time you told her," James said smiling coyly as he extended one hand out and gently shook Emma.

"What are you doing West?" I demanded angrily, watching him. Emma groggily opened her eyes.

"Why the hell did you wake her up!" I hissed at him as Emma sat up and looked at James curiously.

"Arte has something important to tell you," James said to her nonchalantly as he headed back over to Becki and sat down. Both pairs of eyes watched us. I glowered at James, as Emma turned to me.

"What is it Arte?" she asked sounding sleepy but alert at the same time.

_Damn you West! I am so going to have you pay for this_ I thought angrily.

EMMA

I watched Artemus closely. He seemed to be trying to find the words to say something. Eventually, he cleared his throat and turned to me. His blue eyes were locked on mine. He glared at James again before moving his eyes back onto mine.

"Emma, there's something I need to tell you," he said quietly. He raised a hand and placed it on the side of my face, cupping my jaw. "I love you. I always have."

The silence in the car was almost deafening. You could've heard a pin drop at this point. I stared at him shocked.

_So he does love you!_ I thought excitedly and happily. I went to open my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He took that as a negative and he quickly took his hand away from my face and began rambling.

"I understand. You probably think my inventions are humorous and you could probably go for someone more like James," he said slowly getting up from the couch. I looked at him again, a bewildered expression now forming on my face. "I'm sorry Emma. I'm sorry I ruined our friendship."

With that, he turned and began walking down the length of the car to the caboose. Eventually, I found my voice and hurried after him.

I found him standing on the back deck of the caboose, gripping the railing so hard his knuckles had begun turning white. I stepped up beside him, matching his position. We stood there for a moment. Artemus had buttoned up his shirt now, which fluttered gently in the cool breeze. I gently placed a hand on his and turned my face toward his.

"Arte," I began but he cut me off.

"I'm sorry Emma. I feel like such an ass now," he grumbled.

"No Arte stop," I pleaded with him. "Listen to me. You didn't ruin our friendship."

He slowly looked at him, confused. I smiled at him.

"I feel the same way," I continued softly.

He slowly broke into a smile. It was the first genuine smile I'd seen on him in a long time. I slowly stepped closer to him and swung my arms around his neck, pulling him close against me. I felt his arms slowly winding around me as well, leaning into the embrace. My chin rested on his shoulder. I shut my eyes enjoying the moment.

After a few minutes, we pulled apart. He gently placed both hands on the side of my face. I stared up into his blue eyes. He slowly began moving his face closer to me. I closed my eyes. My heart was hammering in my chest loudly. A gentle breeze whipped my hair around and I just felt his lips graze mine when the door banged open behind us. We jumped apart, startled. It was James.

"Sorry to interrupt. But Loveless destroyed another town," James said gravely. He quickly vanished back into the compartment. Arte and I looked at each other and chuckled. We entered the compartment. I sat down on the couch next to Becki. Artemus and James were across from us.

"Now, how do we go about stopping Loveless? He's got a giant Scorpion," James asked.

We all looked at each other. This was definitely going to be interesting…and dangerous.


	4. Stick 'Em Up!

Eidolon

Chapter Four-Stick 'Em up!

"Hmm," Becki mused. "You used a flying object before right? The AirGordon?"

Her eyes moved onto Artemus.

"What about trying that again?"

"Naw," James said shaking his head. "Loveless will probably be prone to that now. He'll know we're coming."

We lapsed into silence. I stared at the coffee table deep in thought. Suddenly, I had an idea.

"What if we ambushed them from the bottom?" I asked raising my eyes to James, Becki and Arte. Their eyes were watching me. "Like we come up with a device that will match that scorpions stride, long enough so we can get them from the bottom up?"

Excitement filled Artemus' eyes as he snapped his fingers. "That's a brilliant idea Emma!"

I grinned at Artemus and turned my eyes onto West.

Jim nodded. "That sounds like it just might actually work. Arte, do you have any plans for what this object could be?"

Artemus began excitedly rambling about something and scurried about the compartment. I looked at Becki amused but excited also to see what he had come up with.

"I've been working on this for quite some time. I figured the aerial attack would probably be expected again so I came up with this," Artemus laid out a drawn blueprint of an object. It was a rectangular object with wheels. "Basically we drive this under the scorpion, able to stay hidden and then these," he gestured to four 'arms' which extended upward. "Will grab onto the underbelly of the scorpion, basically taking us for a ride. They'll never know."

"That's wonderful Arte!" Becki said brightly. Artemus beamed and turned to Jim, hoping he liked the plan. His eyes briefly flashed onto mine. I nodded happily and we waited for Jim to respond.

"I think we have a plan," he said.

We eventually reached the destination. We stopped a good bit away, so Loveless wouldn't be able to tell if we were there. I quickly showered, getting all that dirt and muck off me. I washed my hair and let it dry naturally. I changed into a dark dress. Artemus had changed as well. Night had fallen. That was going to be our best cover. Sure enough, we could feel the ground shaking with each step of the giant scorpion. The invention was lowered onto the ground. As soon as the scorpion was in sight, Artemus began working the 'hugger' as he called it. We reached the scorpion and managed to stay with its stride. He pushed a button and the Hugger grabbed the underside of the machine and lifted off the ground. There was a trap door on the belly, which Jim had managed to pry open. Jim and Arte climbed in before they turned to us.

"You two stay here," Jim said.

"Oh no. We missed out on the first round. We're not missing out on the second," Becki said firmly.

Nodding, Jim helped Becki up and then Artemus helped me up. We began slowly walking forward. I heard the click of the hammer from behind us. We froze. One of Loveless' female associates had a long ivory gun aimed at Jim's head.

"Move," she ordered.

We marched forward up the front of the Scorpion. Loveless slowly turned around in his seat. He looked annoyed. There was a little girl standing off to the left, with handcuffs on her wrists. I looked shocked and stunned at this, but I stood next to Artemus, trembling.

"You are like cockroaches! I kill you once and you don't die!" he growled. "I am angry and you will not like me when I'm angry! Emma get up here!"

Another female associate grabbed me and shoved me forward. Artemus went to grab at me, but the female pressed a gun into his chest, warning him not to move again. I shakily stepped forward; my heart was hammering loudly in my chest now with fear and terror. I didn't know what Loveless had in store for me.

"My dear Emma," Loveless cooed. "Your father was certainly a good man. But let me ask you something. Do you know what went on at New Liberty?"

"Yes. You slayed innocent people you bastard," I snarled at him.

"Why yes that's true," he said grinning. "But there's more to it. I'm going to tell you the _real_ reason why I killed your father. See, he was originally going to go the authorities over our little deal. He was having second thoughts about it. Now I don't like it when people go against their word. This little girl, her own parents went against me. She's the next to go."

Loveless moved his wheelchair closer to me. One of his girls held my arms tightly behind me so I wasn't able to move much.

"And what was our deal? That you, would belong to me," Loveless said.

"No," I heard Artemus say firmly and angrily.

"Geneva, please give that man a reason to say no," Loveless called over my shoulder. I slowly turned my head and saw a dark haired girl bring her knee up into Artemus' gut. Artemus let out a whoosh of air and was bent over.

"Now see," I heard Jim say. "If Emma belongs to you, then how on earth are you going to use her? Are you going to just walk her around? I think that would be a little hard. You could run over her feet. But you wouldn't know anything about having feet."

Jim's tone was mocking. I felt a grin forming, but I quickly hid it.

"And I assume Mr. West that you tend to blend in with the darkness?" Loveless retorted back with hostility. "The point is, your father wasn't going to honor our deal. So, I have to kill you because well, you know the saying."

He turned to the girl standing behind me, holding me tightly.

"Throw her over," Loveless said in a nonchalant way. "And kill those three."

I heard Becki sobbing. I screamed and struggled to break free of the girls grip but she had a tight hold on me. I dug my feet into the floor and tried every possible tactic. I could hear Artemus hissing out curses and struggling to get to me but it was impossible. The girl pushed me to the edge and then with one final hard shove, pushed me forward. I screamed as I felt my body falling. I heard Artemus' howl of "No!".

I lashed out my hands and managed to grab onto a railing. My legs dangled about 120 feet off the ground. I heard a scuffling above. I adjusted my grip on the railing, as I jerked my head to look up. I saw Artemus flat on his abdomen, reaching over the edge.

"Give me your hand," he instructed. I shakily extended my right hand up to him. His hand gripped mine and I felt my left hand slipping. It eventually slipped, and I was dangling a little lower.

"Emma don't let go," he winced.

"Pull me up!" I sobbed.

Slowly, Artemus began pulling me up. My feet reached a ledge and he helped me get back onto the deck. Breathing rapidly, I hugged him tightly. I noticed the little girl standing beside him, in a dirty nightgown. Her blond hair was blowing around in several directions. I looked around.

"Where's Loveless and his lovely friends?" I asked Artemus.

"He escaped again," Artemus said grudgingly. "That man is like impossible to kill. I think he's some kind of robot zombie."

"Whose this?" I asked him, turning my eyes onto the little girl.

"There's no time to explain that. We have to get off this before it explodes," Artemus said as he pulled me to my feet and gently scooped up the little girl with his other free arm.

"Let's go!" Jim shouted, waving us back toward the Hugger. We climbed in and lowered ourselves to the ground again, leaving the scorpion to continue walking on its own power.

"Get down," Jim said gently pushing the four of us down. There was a deafening silence before a loud BOOM. I could feel searing heat. I peered over the edge of the Hugger. The entire scorpion had blown. The legs wobbled before they collapsed to the ground. We began heading back to the train.

The little girl sat on the couch, and just stared into space. Becki was sitting with her, gently talking to her and smoothing out her hair.

"We don't know her name. From what I got from Loveless, her parents had double crossed him so he killed them. He was going to kill her after he threw you over when Jim stepped in. I think she's in shock. This means she more than likely witnessed her parents being executed."

"She seems to have taken a liking to Artemus," Jim said from the chair as he fixed the spurs on his black boots. The little girl had curled up on the couch and had dozed off. Becki got up carefully not wanting to disturb her. She and James headed toward the last compartment. Emmet started the train and began heading up north more in California. Apparently Loveless had one last trick up his sleeve. Jim vowed to get him this time regardless. The compartment was empty except the little girl sleeping on the couch, me and Artemus. Artemus sat on the couch across from the little girl after using his jacket as a blanket for her. I sat down next to him.

"You know, I'd never really actually even fathomed children," he mused. "I-I mean I know I want to have some one day. But I don't understand her. Why she took a liking to me."

"You'd be a great Dad," I said softly to him. "Kids are a good judge."

He smiled at me. I snuggled up against him, smiling contently. His arm wrapped around me and I felt him kiss the top of my head. I ended up dozing off as well.

Sometime later, I woke up abruptly from screaming. I sat bolt upright. Artemus had also jumped awake. I blinked a few times and realized it was the little girl. I quickly rushed over to her and soothed her.

"Easy there Hun," I said gently, putting my arms around her. She pressed her face into my abdomen. "Sssh now it's OK."

My tone was soothing and gentle. Artemus was on one knee in front of us. I heard the compartment door open and Jim stood there dressed in a white long john undergarment. He had a gun already drawn.

"Relax Jim. It was the little girl. I think she was having a nightmare," Artemus said raising his eyes to Jim's. Mumbling something sleepily, Jim turned around and closed the door.

"Hey now. What's your name sweetie?" I asked her kindly.

After a few sniffles and sobs, the girl spoke.

Her voice was so soft, almost like an angel. "Caitlin,"

"Well, I'm Emma and this is Artemus," I said softly. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"That mean man shot my Mommy and Daddy," Caitlin sniffled as tears spilled over her green eyes. I looked up at Artemus. He muttered a curse under his breath.

"Well, you don't have to worry. Artemus is a good guy. We're going to make that mean man pay for what he's done," I said earnestly. She couldn't have been more than 8 or 9 years old.

"What about that other man?" she asked. "The one who was colored."

"He's a good guy too," I promised.

She seemed to calm down a great deal and snuggled up against me. I leaned back, letting her curl up against me. I used Artemus' jacket as a blanket again. She had her head on my lap and closed her eyes. I just gently stroked her hair back, humming a tune my mother used to sing to me when I was little.

ARTEMUS

I watched Emma gently stroking Caitlin's hair, humming a lovely tune. A few strands of Emma's bangs fell over her eyes. She looked so beautiful. I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her…and eventually start a family of our own. She raised her eyes to mine and smiled. I smiled back and affectionately touched the little girls' cheek. She was adorable. A creamy complexion with deep rosy cheeks, green expressive eyes, and a perfect heart shaped face. I couldn't imagine why her parents had technically put her in danger by double crossing Loveless. I shook my head, clearing those thoughts away. Emma soon dozed off herself and I got a blanket, carefully folding it around her. I leaned in and gently gave her a kiss on the cheek before I curled up on the opposite couch, dozing off myself.

In the morning, Emma found a pair of clothes for Caitlin to wear. It was from one of my costumes, but it was better than wearing a dirty nightgown. Becki was entertaining Caitlin. Jim was going over our weapons inventory. I knew that if I didn't ask Emma now, I'd never ask her. I pulled her aside.

"Emma? I need to ask you something," I said nervously.

"What is it?" she asked watching me anxiously.

"Will you spend the rest of your life with me?" I blabbed out.

"Hmm," Emma said her expression teasing and her tone light. "I'll have to think about that one. Yes I will."

She broke into a huge grin. I grinned back, but beneath my thrilled exterior, I had dark thoughts going through my head. If Loveless succeeds now, there will be no more US as we know it.


End file.
